Salvation
by EmbraceLove
Summary: Sometimes what you want isn't always what you need. Drabble challenge consisting of 25 prompts. Sabin/Shelley. Warning: SLASH.


_Prompt: Routine_

He had never intended for them to become a routine. In reality, the one thing that Chris had always liked about his relationship with Alex, aside from the fact that it couldn't be called conventional by any means, was the fact that it was unpredictable and, oftentimes, unstable. He knew that he was probably in the minority in thinking that, but traditional, stuffy relationships just weren't his thing, and thankfully, Alex shared his sentiments. But somewhere along the way, the unpredictability had died down, instead giving way to the very thing neither of them wanted their relationship to become: repetitive.  
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Prompt: Suffer_

Alex could tell that Chris wasn't happy anymore, but for some reason, he was trying desperately to hide it. Chris put on a façade and a brave face, but he couldn't mask his emotions from Alex, despite his best efforts. Plus, Chris knew that Alex would call him on his bullshit if he tried to lie about it, so he just eliminated that problem by keeping quiet.

When it came to emotions, Alex hardly considered himself an expert on the topic, but he knew this was eating away at Chris, and he wished that he would just talk to him.

_Prompt: Shy_

Alex would never, under any circumstances, consider himself to be shy. In fact, it was the opposite—he was brash, blunt, loud, and always said exactly what was on his mind, regardless of the consequences. It was an admirable quality, but unfortunately, it was also a double-edged sword, as he had more enemies than he did friends as a result of it. But Alex really couldn't care less what people thought of him, save for one person: Chris. Chris was the total opposite of Alex, yet he still was able to somehow make Alex feel shy whenever they were together.

_Prompt: Forward_

In contrast to Alex's boisterous nature, Chris was timid and meek. The first time he'd met Alex, he hadn't really said much to him, other than introducing himself. And even though Alex wasn't a people person, there had been something about Chris that he had liked immediately, and he'd spent the majority of the training session engaged in a one-sided conversation with Chris, who'd simply nodded and said a few things in return. He had never really met anyone as forward as Alex, and what was even more surprising to Chris was how unapologetic Alex was for being that way.

_Prompt: Effortless_

The transition from friends to, well, more than was fairly effortless, which surprised both Chris and Alex. Neither of them was quite ready to put a label on what they were yet, partially out of fear and partially out of apprehensiveness. Besides that, they had been best friends for so long that being anything other than that scared him. For Chris' part, he'd always considered the bond between himself and Alex to be unlike any other bond he had with his other friends, and he didn't want to do anything to damage that. But, surprisingly, he didn't need to worry.

_Prompt: Video Game_

Alex was the one to make the first move. He'd been carefully planning on how to do so for about a week now, but he hadn't seen an opening for him to make his move, until his off day, which Chris also had off. Alex took this to casually mention that he could come by with Call of Duty and maybe play a couple of rounds. If Chris suspected anything, he didn't say so, and agreed. It was only during a break that Chris noticed Alex sitting closer to him, his hand resting on Chris' thigh like it belonged there.

_Prompt: Unprepared_

Chris immediately tensed up when Alex's hand slid further up his thigh, inching closer and closer to his hip. As he sucked in a breath, he felt Alex's fingers lightly stroke the side of his hip, and when Chris twisted his body a bit, he noticed that the look on Alex's face mirrored his own. There was also apprehension there, as if Alex was waiting for Chris to pull away and punch him. But Chris didn't; he was completely frozen. All he could do was try to keep his breathing steady as the feelings of desire swam in his head.

_Prompt: Push  
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With Sabin still on the shelf after almost six months, it was clear to everyone in the back that he wouldn't be coming back until 2012. Eric approached Alex at the next taping and asked him what he wanted to do about the situation. If he wanted to wait and just keep doing house shows as a singles wrestler until Sabin came back, they could do that, and then worry about what the future of the Machine Guns would be later. What Eric really wanted to do, though, was to make Alex a really strong singles competitor in the X-Division.  
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Prompt: Torn_

Alex felt extremely guilty about accepting Eric's offer, and he momentarily considered going with his original plan, which was to just work on Xplosion and do house shows as a singles wrestler, but still make it clear that the Machine Guns were still together. He knew that Chris would tell him to take the opportunity and run with it, and not feel guilty, but Alex couldn't stop himself from feeling guilty. He and Chris had been a tag team for almost five years now, and it just didn't feel right to Alex to take the push Eric was giving him.

_Prompt: First Time  
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The noise of the crowd filled Alex's ears as he stepped into the ring. He did his traditional pose, and then sucked in a deep breath as he awaited his opponent. Despite his reservations, he'd decided to take the opportunity given to him, and even called Chris to apologize about it. Chris brushed the apology off, and reassured Alex that he had no reason to feel bad. This was the first time Alex had a match on his own, as Alex Shelley and not "Alex Shelley of the Motor City Machine Guns", in about five years, and it was very strange.

_Prompt: Backstage_

Once his match was over and his arm had been raised in victory, Alex immediately made his way back to his locker room, not even bothering to congratulate Austin on a job well done. He had one thing on his mind, and that was calling Chris and sharing with him the details of his very first post-Machine Guns match. As he chewed on his fingernails, Alex thought about how he could explain the intense rush of emotions he'd felt during the match, and how much fun he'd had, even though Chris hadn't been there for him to share it with.

_Prompt: Meaningless_

Chris had been very vocal in his support of Alex's newly established singles career, and Alex had to admit that he was enjoying himself as well, but it just wasn't the same without Chris there. He'd been working nonstop as well, which meant that he didn't have that downtime he'd grown accustomed to spending with Chris. Alex wanted nothing more than to see Chris, but it was impossible for him to travel given the condition of his knee. Alex knew this and understood it, but he still hated that he couldn't hang out with Chris after a show as usual.

_Prompt: Text Message  
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The text message Chris sent Alex worried the brunette a bit; though he couldn't actually be sure, because he hadn't heard Chris actually speak, Alex just had a feeling from the tone of the message that something was weighing heavily on Chris' mind. He sent a quick message back to Chris.

_What's wrong?_

_Nothing much, just…feeling kinda bummed out. But don't worry about me, okay, Alex? I'll be fine._

Alex sighed as he put his cell phone back in his pocket. Despite Chris' pleas, he couldn't stop himself from worrying and being concerned about what was going on with Chris.

_Prompt: Down  
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Alex could tell as soon as he walked into Chris' house that something was wrong. Chris forced a smile as he greeted Alex warmly, but he wasn't fooling anyone. Alex's brows furrowed together as he sat down on the couch. He reached out and took Chris' hand in his, rubbing his thumb across the back of it, as he studied Chris critically.

"You okay?"

"Eh," Chris shrugged. "I guess I'm just feeling kind of down. You know, with you being able to wrestle and all, and me sitting here injured."

Alex couldn't do anything for Chris, and it killed him.

_Prompt: Aftershave_

The smell of Chris' aftershave lingered on Alex's skin as he pulled the sweater that his partner had given to him over his head. Even though it was October and nowhere near a proper winter yet, for some reason, Mother Nature had decided to bestow some snow upon the state of Michigan. He wasn't a huge fan of winter, but he didn't dislike it to the degree that Chris did. Alex was completely fine with winter so long as the electricity didn't go out. The brunette smiled as he looked over at Chris, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.  
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Prompt: Night_

The night air was crisp and cool, and Alex shivered involuntarily as he stepped out into it. Chris was already out there, sitting on the porch and staring off into the darkness, seemingly disturbed by something. Though he hadn't said this, Alex could tell by the expression on Chris' face, which he was able to see thanks to the porch light shining brightly. It was evident to him that something was keeping Chris from sleeping. Alex contemplated asking Chris about it, but awkward conversations weren't something he enjoyed, and he didn't know how to approach it anyway, so he didn't.

_Prompt: Disappointed  
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As Chris was forced to sit back and watch his partner wrestle every week on TNA, he grew more and more disappointed with himself. Though he had heard from pretty much everyone that there was nothing he could have done to prevent his injury and that it was Anarquia's fault, Chris still felt as though some of the blame lay on him. Yes, the kid was green, and probably shouldn't have been on TV that soon, but he was an experienced worker and should've seen it coming. He was disappointed that he hadn't been more careful or paid more attention.

_Prompt: Longing_

Alex was quickly learning that singles wrestling wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Sure, he'd enjoyed it at first, but as time passed, he began to miss Chris more and more. He'd been teaming with him for so long that tag team wrestling had become his niche, and having to go it alone, without an extra person to watch his back, felt foreign and alien to him. It was weird, looking back and expecting Chris to be there, and he wasn't. Alex didn't know when he would be back, but he hoped it would be fairly soon.

_Prompt: Unexpected_

Chris didn't even realize that his feelings for Alex had changed until his injury. At first he thought that maybe he was just beginning to grow attached to him because Alex was always at his house (actually, Alex had practically moved in), and was just mistaking his feelings for something other than what they really were. But then he reached a point where he could no longer deny that he loved Alex. Chris had always had a lot of respect for his partner, and he'd always admired him and loved him, but now that love was on a deeper level.

_Prompt: Experience_

Neither of them had any experience when it came to this situation. For Alex's part, he wasn't really nervous about it, even though he had only had relationships with girls up until this point. Chris, however, looked at this situation as a potential disaster, as he really did love Alex and didn't want their friendship to suffer if this didn't work out. Alex tried to reassure Chris as best he could that nothing could possibly change the way he felt, and he tried to get him to relax. Chris was excited and nervous about the idea of them being together.  
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Prompt: Chemistry_

The feeling of Alex's lips on his skin, and his hands roaming over his body, ignited a fire within Chris that he hadn't even known existed until now. He tried to breathe deeply and pace himself, as the moment was one that he really didn't want to end, even though it was inevitable that they couldn't keep doing this forever. Chris' breath caught in his throat as his hands tangled in Alex's hair while he kissed his stomach, tugging gently as he urged his partner on. Alex smiled against Chris' skin as he continued, kissing softly above Chris' belly button.

_Prompt: Abs_

_Alex's body truly is a work of art,_ Chris thought as he stroked Alex's sides. The brunette purred appreciatively as Chris' fingers skimmed up his ribs and over his taut abs. Chris smiled at Alex's involuntary reaction to his touch, and when he saw a blush creep up Alex's cheeks and a small smile play up the corner of his lips, his smile grew wider. The effect he had on Alex was mind-blowing and probably more intense than any other feeling he had ever felt. Chris had dated extensively through the years, but this was completely different and exciting.  
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Prompt: Playful  
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Chris was worried that Alex would be different after, but he wasn't. In fact, the atmosphere between them was just as playful as always, if not more so. Alex seemed to be genuinely excited and almost giddy, two traits that Chris was not used to seeing in his partner at all. It was a welcome change, and it also alleviated Chris' nerves, as he had been nervous going into this. He didn't realize that Alex was watching him until he felt a jab to his stomach. Raising an eyebrow, he turned and poked Alex back. Minutes later, a poke fight ensued.  
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Prompt: Fantasy  
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"This is like a really awesome fantasy,", Chris often said to Alex, and it was true. Never in a million years did Alex, or Chris, ever think that their friendship would turn from one of deep mutual respect to a romantic one, but it had. Neither of them had even known that they had feelings for each other, and at first it had been awkward and scary, but they'd managed to push past the uncomfortable nature of it to get to this point now. Both of them felt that, as long as they did this together, they'd be just fine.

_Prompt: Salvation_

Chris' recovery was almost complete, after almost seven agonizing months. He credited some of that to his physical therapist and his own sheer will to recover, but the majority of his recovery was due to Alex. When he got injured, Chris had become bitter, angry, and generally rude to almost everyone around him, Alex included. But while some people abandoned him, Alex stayed. He gently pushed Chris to see that his injury didn't diminish his character, and even when Chris was bitter, Alex stayed by his side. Chris felt that his salvation had come in the form of Alex Shelley.


End file.
